


the leaves fall and the frost summons the end, but with you here, it's summer all the way

by The_Consulting_Werewolf



Series: the Fic Fest fics [12]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, the end is so cheesy I can't believe I wrote this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2020-12-22 20:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21082361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Consulting_Werewolf/pseuds/The_Consulting_Werewolf
Summary: The Kim-Wu homestead is known for their stellar jams, crisp apples, and the wonderful little family they have.





	the leaves fall and the frost summons the end, but with you here, it's summer all the way

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Flake 216
> 
> Alright, I sincerely hope this is what you wanted but I must admit I got seriously carried away thinking about farmers Yifan and Junmyeon and their lovely little family and gave myself feels.  
[also, I hope you like it, dear prompter!]

I.

Preparations are in full swing for the party tonight and Yifan isn’t allowed to do anything. It is his thirty-fifth birthday and his husband (and children) has a party planned for him. From his little office on the first floor, he can hear his boys running about and Junmyeon shouting instructions to the few employees they have, who also have pitched in to help. He can also smell the scent of freshly baked cake and other good food. He wasn’t allowed to lend a hand, even though sitting still for a person like him is impossible. He is a homestead owner and after a decade on their farm, he doesn’t understand the concept of being idle anymore.

Yifan wasn’t always like this. He was a proper city boy but then on the second year of his college, he met first year Kim Junmyeon in Beijing University and it was probably, totally love at first sight. They started dating soon and they got married four years later. They did marry young but they had nothing to regret about that. It was a small, intimate ceremony with only their closest friends and family present. And with this marriage, Junmyeon also came into inheriting his grandmother’s property, who was waiting for one of the younger generations to settle down before she can settle her affairs and head for the heavens. She died a year later, so with their university degree, their entire sparse luggage and a pregnant Junmyeon, the Kim-Wus moved to the countryside and became permanent residents of the farm. They had no idea what they were doing in the beginning and they are still grateful for all the help they got from their warm, friendly neighbours.

Three years after moving here, Junmyeon decided to start a small business selling things they can make from the farm. His grandmother used to do the same for the extra income and he had all her recipe books at disposal. He is a quick learner, so it wasn’t long before they began _Kim-Wu From the Farm_. They started with jams, preserves before moving onto dried savoury and sweet snacks made from things found on the farm. A decade later, they can say are content with their lives. First arrived their oldest son, Han, then their second oldest, Baekhyun, and finally, Shixun. Three kids were definitely not in the plan but it was alright—both Yifan and Junmyeon had all the love to give to their three boys. And they are economically stable now, and even if it wasn’t like this before. It was during the second pregnancy that Junmyeon started devising the business plan (he did go to university for business studies after all), thinking an additional way of making money won’t hurt them. They were already selling vegetables, dairy and fruits but these things are perishable and decided by the seasons, so Junmyeon wanted to do something that would cover their rainy days. A second child was still such a surprise. 

Yifan smiles when he thinks back to the day Junmyeon realised he was pregnant for the second time.

_July brings in heavy rains, alerts for a possible cyclone on the eastern shore, and the cow going into labour after midnight. Both Yifan and Junmyeon were ready for it, but it was still a surprise. Yifan rushed towards the shed in the heavy downpour as Junmyeon called for their local vet. The man picked the phone up, sounding obviously groggy as he rasps, “Junmyeon?”_

_Junmyeon swallows his panic and says, “Hey, Yixing, so sorry to wake you up at this hour, but um, Yuki just went into labour.”_

_It took Yixing a moment to understand what Junmyeon was saying but then he did and Junmyeon heard someone grumbling in the background (probably his boyfriend) and the hurried shuffling of sheets. Yixing says, “Okay, okay, I’ll be there in a few! Keep some warm water and towels ready!”_

_Junmyeon nods. “Drive carefully, okay, bye.”_

_The call ends and Junmyeon decides to head for the cottage at the back first. He knocks on the door and the young girl opens it, fighting sleep as well. Junmyeon says, “Yuki went into labour, we need to get some water and towels.”_

_Yuqi gasps and puts on her shoes in a rush, saying, “That’s why mama ran out of the house like that!”_

_Junmyeon grins, “Qian is definitely supernatural when it comes to the cows.” The mother-daughter duo of Qian and Yuqi are permanent residents of the small cottage on the western edge of the property. They work on the farm and live rent-free. Qian was a single mother, who had to leave her home in Qingdao and Yifan met her while on a visit to a farm in his hometown, and asked her if she would love to work with them. Qian mostly works with the cows; managing their feeding and milking._

_Yuqi laughs and ducks under Junmyeon’s umbrella. Together, they waddle towards the main house and get to working on boiling the water and gathering clean rags and towels. Soon, they walk through the corns as they make their way to the shed. Their boots make loud squelching sounds as they wade through the rain, now slowly lessening. When they are at the door, they hear the poor creature groaning in pain and Qian and Yifan trying to soothe her. Junmyeon and Yuqi put down their things as the former says, “Yuqi? Go wait at the main gate, okay? Dr Zhang is on his way.”_

_Yuqi nods, looks at the cow with some worry and then runs out of the shed. The animal is groaning in pain and the humans around her try their best to provide her some comfort. Qian puts Yuki’s head on her knees and rubs gentle circles behind her ears. Yifan is checking for dilation every now and then. Junmyeon sits down beside Qian and coos softly at the animal, who just blinks up at him. This is not their first cattle birth, so they know how it goes. They usually have a vet ready in case something happens. They had a ewe bleed out once and it traumatized both Yifan and Junmyeon a lot, so they ask Yixing to come with them every time an animal goes into labour. _

_Yuqi returns ten minutes later with Yixing in tow but she leaves after some time and no one notices her leaving as all their attention is on Yuki now. Yixing gets to work immediately, not even taking his wet raincoat off. Yuki is ready, she starts moaning in pain again. They all hold their breath when twenty minutes later the head of the calf peeks out of her, a small shout of jubilation is shared by all and Yifan encourages her, “Hey, there girl, you’re doing great.” He pats her side and Yuki just flaps her tail for a second, perhaps acknowledging the praise._

_One hour later, they have a healthy male calf in their midst, and they all heave a huge sigh of relief. Yuki gets to mother the calf immediately and Qian offers to stay and keep watch. Yifan and Yixing leave the shed first, talking about the fees for attending and stuff. Junmyeon lingers for a moment, smiling down at the cow and her child bonding. It reminds him back to the time he met Han for the first time two years ago in the hospital. He didn’t have a natural birth obviously, but holding his baby in his arms for the first time was a feeling he will never forget. And that’s when he remembers…_

_He jerks back to his feet and widens his eyes, slightly panting now. He murmurs, “I will come back when dawn breaks.”_

_Qian hums and Junmyeon rushes back to the house. Yifan is still with Yixing, and the former laughs at something the vet says. Good, Junmyeon hopes Yifan stays outside till he gets back to the house. He finds the door open and Yuqi stepping down the stairs. She smiles, “Ah, I came back to check after Han, he’s peacefully sleeping.”_

_Junmyeon fills his heart feeling with gratitude for the thirteen-year-old girl. He squeezes her hand in thanks and she asks, “Is mom with the baby?”_

_Junmyeon says, “Yep.”_

_“I should go then,” Yuqi pouts._

_Junmyeon chuckles, “I don’t think she’ll let you stay. Don’t you have school tomorrow?”_

_Yuqi pouts harder, “A new calf is a family emergency gege.”_

_Junmyeon laughs as Yuqi skips out of the house. His panic returns in full force when he’s finally left alone. He rushes upstairs, takes a small peek at Han, who is sleeping with no worries in his cot, and then he heads for the master bathroom. He opens the door and looks at the two innocent pregnancy tests lying on the basin counter. He was taking the test when Qian called Yifan, who knocked on the bathroom door to let Junmyeon know what was happening. Junmyeon had almost dropped the sticks down the toilet and now it has been more than fifteen minutes. He inches slowly towards the sticks and he picks them both up. And they are both a resounding positive._

_Junmyeon swallows and flops down on the closed toilet seat. He is pregnant, _again_. Only two years after Han. How is he going to say this to Yifan? They never talked about more kids—okay they didn’t even talk about babies in general, even before Han came into their lives. Now, they are going to have another. He holds the two sticks in one hand while his other comes down to rest on his stomach. He immediately thinks how there’s life growing inside him now and he knows he can’t bring himself to lose it. But can they have _another_ child?_

_At this moment, the door is pushed back and Yifan steps in. Junmyeon takes a second more to collect himself but by that time, Yifan eyes had landed on the sticks. His eyes widen and he comes closer to Junmyeon, who is shaking and he feels his eyes getting wet. Yifan gently prises the sticks from his hand and looks at the two little lines on both tests. His voice shakes when he asks, “Are you, are you…”_

_Junmyeon nods and gets to his feet. He crashes into Yifan’s chest and starts crying. He blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind, “I don’t know, Fan. Can we afford another kid?”_

_Yifan swallows; the farm wasn’t doing well but it wasn’t doing too awful either. It’s just between them, their employees and every bit of maintenance this place requires, they don’t have a lot to spend at the end of a month for themselves. Yifan throws his arms around Junmyeon and tightens his hold as he nuzzles into Junmyeon’s hair. He softly says, “You know I would love another kid, I mean Han would have a lifelong friend but baobei, if you don’t want it—”_

_Junmyeon gasps, pushing himself to look at Yifan, his eyes red and his lips quiver as he says, “Fan! I do, I do want, but—”_

_Yifan smiles and kisses Junmyeon softly. He kisses both tear-stained cheeks and murmurs, “Then, don’t worry. If we can score that contract from that hotel, we would be set for a while, right? It will be okay, I swear.”_

And it did become okay. Junmyeon’s idea took off and after this television channel covered their homestead for a special, their business boomed and they steadily became more financially stable. Baekhyun arrived, closely followed by Shixun, and now almost a decade later, Yifan can’t help but smile at his family. He ambles over to the window and pushes the cotton curtains aside to find Baekhyun and Shixun zooming around the courtyard with Yuqi chasing after them. Junmyeon is carrying linens and he does shout at them but no one’s listening. Han, like the responsible older brother he is, lends his father a hand and shakes his head at his brothers’ behaviours.

Maybe Junmyeon feels eyes on his back because he turns around and finds Yifan looking at him. He waves his free hand and Yifan waves back, grinning. Junmyeon crouches down a little and tells Han something, who nods, puts down the basket he was carrying and rushes towards the house.

Yifan thinks Junmyeon sent their oldest to him, and he is proven right when Han knocks on his office door. Yifan opens it and Han’s little face is flushed and he is grinning widely in excitement as he says, “Papa says you can come out now and see the decorations!”

Yifan smiles, ruffles his son’ hair and says, “Lead the way.”

Han nods and grabs his baba’s hand and leads him out of the house and towards the back where the massive courtyard and garden is. Yifan and Kyungsoo—their neighbour—built it themselves. Kyungsoo is just good at building while Yifan had his degree in civil engineering, so between them, Yifan thinks they did a great job. It was Junmyeon’s gift really, who had wanted to do something about the space and make their own vegetable patch. So, when Junmyeon got pregnant with Shixun, Yifan got to work in the third trimester. It was also easy to keep Junmyeon out of it as he mostly rested during those three months. Shixun was a heavy baby and Junmyeon found himself moving very little. They divided the space into two parts, made place for the vegetable garden and then made a shed at the other end with a connecting gazebo. Whenever they are hosting friends or family, they pull out the long tables Yifan made and put up chairs. This time too, Junmyeon did the same, except he also put up a tent that is twinkling with fairy lights. And under the light stands the love of his life. Yifan grins, shaking his head a little as he looks at the setting. He says, “Myeon, didn’t you go too far?”

Junmyeon walks up to him and throws his arms around Yifan’s waist. He smiles, “Nope!”

Yifan puts his arms around Junmyeon as well and says, “Baobei, this is a little overboard.”

Junmyeon laughs, “No, it’s not! I wanted this, especially after the last two birthdays you spent away from us.”

Yifan sighs a little; Junmyeon has a point. He had to be away from the farm for the last two years due to his mother’s ill-health. His mother is coming down as well, Junmyeon made sure of that. His mother was doing much better now, so she also eagerly agreed to come to their farm and see her grandkids again. He leans down and Junmyeon knows what he wants, so he raises on his toes and their lips brush in a gentle kiss. Junmyeon grins against Yifan’s lips and when he returns to his original height, he says, “You know I would keep throwing you birthday parties every year if I could.”

Yifan rolls his eyes but his smile is still affectionate as he says, “Myeon, I’m only getting older.”

Junmyeon chuckles and cups Yifan’s face, pulling him down as he says, “And only getting more handsome.” Yifan groans, and his whole face gets red but Junmyeon is relentless as he laughs and then kisses Yifan soundly. When their gazes lock, Junmyeon wonders how Yifan would feel about the surprise he has for him.

The sun is leaning to the west when the first wave of guests arrives. The air is colder than it was in the morning but two layers are enough since November hasn’t deepened and a lingering pleasant air remains. Kyungsoo comes over first with his wife, Jihyun, and their six-year-old son, Chanyeol, who’s also Baekhyun’s “very bestest friend”. The kids find each other and run off to play with no other word spoken to their parents. Next arrive Jongdae and Yixing—both more than just friends and actually part of the farm by now really. Yixing looks after their animals while Jongdae takes care of their taxes and business transactions (he is an accountant). They have a son as well, Zitao, who is close to Shixun. Han pouts a little when he sees his brothers having fun with their best friends as he waits for his. But he didn’t need to wait too long as Jongin’s car arrives and with it, his adopted son and Han’s best friend, Minseok arrives.

As the kids play their own little game, more neighbours and friends arrive and the adults mingle in the gazebo where Junmyeon had spread out the food and drinks. His assistant for the day is Yuqi, who came home after her exams got over. Junmyeon feels a little bad for making the girl work, but Yuqi doesn’t mind. His other farmhands are also helping and Junmyeon almost didn’t recognise Yukhei, who is dressed in a smart plaid sweater with his hair pushed back. But then he smirks, Jongin is here, after all, so obviously Yukhei would try his best to impress. Everyone on the farm knows about Yukhei’s adorable crush on the older man. Junmyeon, however, thinks that the crush is not one-side when Jongin fidgets a little before approaching Yukhei who is laughing at something Zitao said.

His gaze next lands on Yifan talking to the woman who owns the silk farm. She is patting his back and he looks bashful and Junmyeon thinks how handsome his husband truly looks. He is dressed just in a black, heavy turtleneck and black pants, his hair pushed back, but he still looks like a model. 

Someone calls him over, so Junmyeon leaves Yuqi with refilling the snacks tray. It is Jihyun, and she asks him about if he’s thinking about making some of the rose jam again. She pouts, patting her bump, “I have been craving it for so long, you know.”

Junmyeon laughs; Jihyun is currently eight months pregnant and he knows how cravings work. He says, “Actually, I still have three jars saved that I was going to send to customers as free samples, but if you want, I can give them to you.”

Jihyun widens her eyes, gasping, “No, no, if—”

Junmyeon touches her elbow and shakes his head. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind, not one bit.”

Jihyun gushes in gratitude and Yuqi comes over to them with baked smoky puff pastry stars that Junmyeon helped make this afternoon and the sudden rich scent of butter and paprika makes his stomach roll and he curses. His nausea isn’t supposed to hit this early on, right? But he excuses himself and he is scowling deeply, and not breathing as he marches inside the house and heads for the bathroom.

As Junmyeon rushes inside, Yifan watches him. He notes the scrunched up face and he gets worried. He excuses himself and takes after his husband. He finds him by the retching sounds from their bathroom. He rushes into the bathroom, his heart thudding in worry, and gasps when he finds Junmyeon slumped over the toilet seat. He cries, “Oh my god, are you okay?”

Junmyeon is greatly startled but he quickly collects himself and flushes the contents. He walks over to the basin and mumbles, “I am fine.” He washes his mouth and he wonders why he’s suddenly so shy. He is not doing this for the first time.

Yifan stands behind him and frowns, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed. You threw up two days ago as well. And last night too, didn’t you? And don’t think I haven’t seen you lose your appetite too! You love pumpkin but you didn’t even eat the stew Yuqi made last night! Are you sick? Did you go to the doctor?”

Junmyeon holds back his grin by pressing his lips and moves away from the basin. This wasn’t in the plan but time to improvise, he supposes. He says nothing as he walks out of the room and moves towards their shared closet. Yifan is still grumbling, “Excuse me, don’t ignore me!”

Junmyeon grabs the small envelope he had been hiding between his sweaters and walks up to Yifan. The older man widens his eyes when his husband hands him the envelope. He takes it and opens it to find an image that he’s only too familiar with. It is an ultrasound. He starts shaking a little as he slowly says, “You are, you are…”

Junmyeon grabs Yifan’s arm and nods, slowly breaking out into a smile, “Yes, it has been two and a half months. The symptoms kicked in a bit late but when I realised what they were, I decided to get my doubt checked.”

Yifan asks, his voice wet, “When?”

“Two days ago,” Junmyeon smiles and cups Yifan’s neck. “I wanted to tell you tonight, after the party.” He shrugs, “But oh well, this will have to do.”

Yifan pulls Junmyeon into his arms and almost crushes the smaller in his embrace. Junmyeon chuckles, a little breathlessly. Yifan whispers, “Oh my god, I really hope it’s a girl this time.”

Junmyeon laughs, “I hope so too. And I get to name her this time!”

Yifan chuckles as he pulls back. He cups Junmyeon’s face and kisses him, deeply. He is so happy, just so very happy. This has been the best birthday gift ever. However, he ends up frowning next. He suddenly realises something. His thumb rubs soft circles on Junmyeon’s cheekbones as he says, “But baobei, male pregnancies over thirty don’t always work out well…”

Junmyeon tilts his head to the side. He knew Yifan would pick this fact out first of all, so he says, “Don’t worry Fan. I’m as healthy as I can be, really. I had a check-up done and all my levels are fine—”

Yifan frowns, “Remember how difficult Baekhyun’s birth was?”

Junmyeon sighs, closing his eyes for a second. He remembers very well. He also remembers Yifan’s tear-stained face when he thought he was going to lose Junmyeon. So, Junmyeon kisses Yifan’s chin and whispers, “Fan, they weren’t ready that time. But I was fine with Shixun, right?” He leans back and smiles, “And don’t worry, I’ll be careful. And also get more check-ups done, okay?”

Yifan pouts but he ends up looking at Junmyeon’s flat stomach and his heart jumps. He laughs and pulls Junmyeon in for a hug as he says, “You know what’s funny? I was thinking about Baekhyun’s appearance in our lives this afternoon.”

Junmyeon laughed too. “Now, that was truly a surprise!”

Yifan pulls back, smirking, “Oh? Then how about this one?”

Junmyeon narrows his eyes and hits Yifan on his arm. “Jeju was entirely your fault. We could have lived without a sudden second honeymoon!” He tries hard to fight the blush when he thinks back to the shameless four days they spent on the solitary cottage overlooking the sea.

Yifan laughs at the way Junmyeon’s cheeks colour, and then he proceeds to kiss Junmyeon deeply, pouring all his love into it. Junmyeon feels it and his toes curl. When they pull back for air, he mumbles, “I love you.”

“And I love you.”

II.

The sun is bright and strong today so the cold, nippy air doesn’t feel that bad. It is a Saturday, so the kids don’t have school and they can play to their heart’s desire in the farm today, do whatever they want (they agree there’s never a lack of fun things to do on their farm), and the one thing they all agree on doing is collecting eggs in the morning. They sell both hen and duck eggs but Shixun is kind of scared of the ducks, so they lean more towards the insulated hen coop.

The farm has grown over the years. Their parents now sell eggs and meat as well, also the rooster feathers to craft shops in the city. They have cows, goats and pigs too. On the land behind the house, they grow corn, wheat, strawberries, and apples, also grow citrus trees in the greenhouse. Apple picking season ended and they had lots of fun during that time. While most of the fruit was sold, Junmyeon kept back some to turn them into preserves and baked chips as snacks for his from-farm business and for the kids. Han and Baekhyun love the thin, sugary, cinnamon-scented chips—even Shixun the pickiest eater of them all enjoys them.

It is seven in the morning, a little later than what is usual but the kids are used to waking up early and even earlier. Their parents are usually up and about by six and since their school is like an hour away, the kids are used to waking up early too from an early age.

The farm on this morning looks so pretty. Some of the trees have turned golden and some haven’t but the crunch of dead leaves under their feet are fun and Baekhyun and Shixun start a game to see how many leaves they can crunch as they walk on the path leading from their house to the hen coops. They pass the persimmon tree and Han reminds himself to get himself some on the way back. The three brothers can climb trees as well, so Han hopes if he gets the fruit, papa makes them into those candies he likes so much.

After crunching enough leaves (Baekhyun wins), they show up at the three moderate-sized coops hand-built by Yifan and Jaehyun, one of the part-timers. Yukhei is already there and he smiles when he finds the three Kim-Wu brothers running up to him. He gets their baskets ready and when they are close enough, he says, “Okay, kiddos! Ready?” The three shout in unison.

When they are inside, gently coaxing the hens to give up their eggs, Shixun suddenly asks, “Do you think our sister would like to pick eggs with us?” Junmyeon and Yifan got to know the gender this week and the boys were thrilled to learn they would have a sister soon.

Han nods, “Of course, she will! She’s our sister after all!”

Baekhyun agrees, “Yes if we like it, she would too!”

Shixun looks pleased with the answer and puts two eggs in his basket. Yukhei hears their exchange and smiles. The Kim-Wu brothers are the most adorable trio. When Yukhei came to work on this farm two years ago, he remembers how excited the three were because Yukhei at twenty-three is the youngest employee here (well, there’s Yuqi but she’s not really an employee, her mother is). They would follow him around when they didn’t have school or homework to finish. It was only in time that they would befriend Yukhei and treat him like their additional playmate. And Yukhei was only too happy to oblige. He liked the kids and their best friends too. That suddenly makes him think of Minseok’s father and he is suddenly too hot for a chilly November morning.

Shixun notices Yukhei’s ears slowly turning red, so he points at it and asks, “Gege, why your ears so red?”

Yukhei yelps and scares a hen as he shakes his head, “Nothing, nothing. The coop is too hot.”

Shixun looks at his brothers, who aren’t as red as Yukhei, so he very wisely says, “But we are not red.”

Yukhei groans; Baekhyun, who has heard everything, grins, “Is gege being silly again?”

Yukhei groans again, grumbling, “Yep, gege is definitely being silly.”

Shixun and Baekhyun giggle as Yukhei silently has his embarrassing meltdown over a certain, rather handsome single dad.

III.

Yifan isn’t sure how they ended up like this, but now they are on this slow, winter afternoon in the living room on the floor covered by thick rugs beside the fireplace where a nice fire gently crackles. It is the middle of November and the last few days were spent in a frenzy packing up the citrus fruits for the big order from the city wholesale merchant. Today was finally a break and both Junmyeon and Yifan took their time to wake up and make an extravagant breakfast for their sons, who had the day off since it was a public holiday. Heaps of thin, savoury pancakes, sweet persimmon tarts later, they moved into the living room and were watching movies when Junmyeon left to get things started for lunch and Yifan wanted to join but Junmyeon waved him off. Yifan is back at it—like he becomes whenever Junmyeon was pregnant before. If Yifan had his way, he would carry Junmyeon everywhere and have him “resting” all day, every day. But first, Junmyeon can’t stay still, and second, he always had active pregnancies and nothing has ever happened besides some high blood sugar levels during Baekhyun. He knows his age is a concern now, but he got this.

Yifan sends him a pout but returns his attention back to the television show they were watching. Junmyeon shuffles into the kitchen and Yifan feels Han suddenly tugging at his hair. Yifan has been growing his hair out this year and now it is under his chin. He doesn’t know exactly what he wants but Junmyeon said it looks good on him, so he’s keeping it. He looks at Han and raises an eyebrow. Han grins, “Hey, baba? Can I practice braiding your hair?”

Yifan is at first, a little confused. So he asks, “Um, okay but why?”

Han’s grin widens, and in a breathless rush, he says, “Well, Yuqi wears pretty braids and she said girls braid their hair and I just, when our sister grows her hair as long as Yuqi too, we want to help her have cute braids too.”

Baekhyun joins when he realises what his older brother is up to. He nods, “Yes, yes, pretty braids like jiejie’s!”

Yifan feels his whole heart melting at how eager his sons look. Junmyeon was worried that maybe the boys won’t take too well at the thought of another sibling (especially when Han absolutely hated Baekhyun at first sight when the latter was born—thank god that changed). But Yifan had heard from Qian and Yukhei how the brothers are excited to show their baby sister the farm, show her all their favourite spots to play and all the cats and dogs they have befriended all this while. And now this? Yifan is ready to weep at how precious his kids are. So, he nods and smiles. He might lose some hair today and his scalp will definitely complain, but it’s for them.

Therefore, when Junmyeon returns after an hour to the room, he has to laugh when he finds Yifan surrounded by their boys and his hair is in very messy, very amateurish braids threaded with colourful wool. Junmyeon has to ask, “Boys, what’re you up to?”

Shixun, who was tying a knot (or trying to) looks up and with a very serious face says, “We are giving baba braids.”

Baekhyun explains, “Papa! We’re practising how to braid so when meimei comes we will be ready to do her hair too!”

Junmyeon claps a hand over his mouth as his heart expands with love. He catches Yifan’s equally fond gaze and he feels his eyes threatening to fill up. He swallows it down and comes closer to check out his sons’ artistry some more. He touches the attempt of a French braid and smiles, “Well, seems like you guys are nearly there.”

Han cries, “Oh yes!” Then his eyes twinkle in glee as he says, “Papa, you should grow your hair too! We would’ve more hair to practice!”

Yifan and Junmyeon laugh as the other two pitches in their support as well. Yifan pulls Junmyeon down to the floor and the kids crawl over him. Junmyeon feels his heart further expanding when he notes how Baekhyun—the clingiest among them all—pays close attention to not let his limbs touch Junmyeon’s stomach, where the bump should be but won’t show till another month or so. Junmyeon tries to squeeze them all in his hug and says, “Oh, you’re all so good to your meimei already.”

Han asks, smiling wide, “We are?”

Yifan laughs as he cups Han’s neck. He brushes the unruly bangs of his eldest son’s eyes and says, “Yes.”

Han feels very happy. He is the big brother after all. He was only Baekhyun and Shixun’s gege, but now he will be a gege all over again. He is excited! But he has only been a big brother to two boys, so he is kind of worried he wouldn’t know how to be a big brother to a sister, but he’s learning.

IV.

They have stared harvesting the winter vegetables today. They have the weekly farmer’s market in the next town over, where all the city people come down on weekends, so a fairly lucrative place for some earnings. Yifan and a few other pile up carrots, cabbages, spinach, pineapples, and they also pack up some of the products Junmyeon made. Jongdae comes down to help and Zitao tags along. As Yifan works outside, Junmyeon and Jongdae sit in the former’s office, sipping warm apple tea and going over Junmyeon’s books.

Jongdae smiles, “You did well this year hyung, really good. Keep this up and maybe you can finally start that artisan soap line you wanted.”

Junmyeon’s eyes glitter as he leans over the desk. “You sure?” He puts a hand over his bump—that is still not very visible under his sweater—as he says, “I mean, I have to occupy myself with _something _when Yifan bans me from all types of farm labour.”

Jongdae laughs; he has seen that before. Yixing married him around the time Junmyeon was in his second trimester with Baekhyun and when he agreed to help Junmyeon with his business, he did see how Yifan was the epitome of the worried husband and father. It was heart-warming and he did think that Junmyeon was perhaps nagging a bit but then when he was carrying Zitao when he realised just exactly how Junmyeon felt. A loving husband is amazing but sometimes they can get overbearing, annoyingly so—though Jongdae’s aware Yixing just wanted everyone to be safe. He says, “Oh god, you know, Yixing wouldn’t even allow me to get down the stairs without his help? Like I know Taozi was a big baby, but seriously? Our stairs aren’t even that steep!”

Junmyeon rolls his eyes, groaning. “Stairs? Yifan had started to help me get off and on chairs last time!”

They both share a laugh and then a loud squeal attracts their attention outside where Shixun and Zitao are playing. Zitao brought his pet dog, Lanyun, and the little, white fluffy thing is yelping loudly. Shixun and Zitao don’t have a game in mind today, so they decided to just go with tag but Zitao is a fast runner and he always wins. Shixun is kind of mad about it but he is not stopping. He will catch Zitao, he will.

The garden mixes into the cornfield and they run by its side before reaching the pond behind their property. There is a large wooded area after that that no one owns but the whole village uses to forage for herbs and mushrooms. There are no predators in the wood but you do often see a wild cat or two. Deer and rabbits are the only inhabitants, along with birds. There is a fence after the pond, but it is always open during the day so Shixun and Zitao slip through it. The woods aren’t dangerous so they are allowed to play in it, at least when the sun is still up. Since a mountain rises over the west, the wood remains nicely shaded throughout the year though the darkness descends quicker during this time. It’s not lunch yet, so the two friends don’t think too much about heading into it.

Their breaths cloud in front of their flushed faces and both pant heavily, but they are having so much fun. They weave through tall trees and knee-length shrubs till they come to the clearing they enjoy playing the most in. It is a little circle dotted with wild meadow flowers that are not blooming now but this place looks stunning in the summers. Last year, with their parents’ permission, of course, Shixun and Zitao got a small shack made for them where they would often hang out at and Shixun would stash all the toys he wouldn’t want Baekhyun to take from him.

They open the door and flop down on the worn-out couch. Lanyun yips at Zitao’s feet and he scratches her ear. Shixun pats her head and they kick back, rest for some time and talk about the last episode of their favourite show, this boy they don’t like at school and so on. However, after an hour or so, Lanyun’s ears prick up and she zooms away from them. Both boys are taken aback but they take after her immediately. They find her at the back of the shack, pawing at the ground. Shixun is the first to reach and he gasps when he finds a small rabbit barely breathing by the small bush growing behind the shack.

Zitao crouches, whispering, his eyes wide, “Is it hurt?”

Shixun shakes his head, “I, I don’t know.”

Zitao gently prods at the brownish-grey ears and says, “Baba would come for lunch, right? Maybe he’s already there. He can tell what’s wrong with the bunny?”

Shixun agrees; he takes off his jacket (he will get an earful from his baba) and gently picks the rabbit up. The creature does open one eye and looks up, making a small disturbed sound but Shixun hushes it, stroking its’ alert ears. He bundles it up and putting his close to his chest, they start making their way back to the house. It takes longer for them to return as they don’t run, afraid they would hurt the bunny if they did.

Zitao is the one who rushes inside first and runs into the kitchen where he finds his appa with Jun and Fan uncles. He pants, “Appa! Uncles! We have a rabbit! He looks sick!”

The adults are a little startled by the sudden announcement but then Shixun follows, shivering slightly with his sweater bundled up at his chest, cradling something. Yifan gasps and comes closer. Shixun carefully hands him the bundle and Yifan is careful as well as he puts it down on the counter. He peels the layers away to find a rabbit as Jongdae says, “Oh no, it’s a kit.”

Zitao asks in a hushed whisper, “What’s a kit appa?”

Jongdae replies, “A baby rabbit sweetie.”

A highly confused Shixun asks no one in particular, “Eh? Baby rabbits aren’t bunnies?”

Junmyeon shakes his head with some amusement at his son’s confusion but he comes closer to the animal as well and he says, “I think the thing is probably starving.” He looks at his son and his friend, “Where did you find it?”

Zitao says, “Well, Lanyun found her! She was at the back of the shack.”

Yifan hums, “I think the same. It probably got lost from its family or something. And yeah, it does look young.” He looks at Jongdae, “Should we call Yixing?”

Jongdae was a step ahead, he is putting his phone down on the counter as he smiles, “Already texted him, don’t worry.”

Yifan nods; he looks at Shixun, who is visibly shivering now. He picks his son up and rubs his arm, smiling, “Good job, all three of you. Now, let’s get you in some warm clothes.”

Junmyeon grins when he sees Shixun and Zitao blushing at the praise. He says, “Alright you two, how about some hot chocolate, hmm?”

Jongdae protests, “Oh no, hyung, nothing sweet before lunch.”

Zitao whines, “But appa!”

Junmyeon chuckles, “Oh, come one, one day won’t hurt him. I will make small cups, okay?”

Zitao grins widely, literally beaming at Jun uncle, feeling very grateful that at least he has one adult on his side. He does glance at his appa and he sees him frowning for a bit before shrugging his shoulder. He mentally fist bumps in victory when his appa says, “Okay, a little won’t hurt.”

Meanwhile, they wrap the rabbit in some blanket and Yifan tries to feed it some water through a dropper. He heaves a huge sigh of relief when the rabbit drinks the water. He makes a note to customize one of those unused feeders they keep for the poultry. His other two sons come find the bunny. Both Han and Baekhyun are curious but Junmyeon firmly tells them to not bother the thing. When they learn their youngest brother found it, they go hound Shixun and Zitao for details instead.

Han asks, “If they let us keep it, we should name it, no?”

Baekhyun and Zitao nod. Shixun, who was in the centre of their circle on the rug in front of the fireplace, chews on his lip before saying, “I like the name Vivi.”

Baekhyun says, “Vivi? That’s a cool name!” He looks at Han and grins, “I like it!”

Han frowns, “That sounds like a girls’ name, what if Vivi is a boy?”

Shixun shrugs, “It don’t matter. I like the name, Baek gege likes the name.”

Zitao raises his hand, ready to take his friends side, “Me too.”

Han shrugs, smiling a little, “Okay, Vivi it is then.” He leans closer, “But what is wrong with Vivi?”

They get an answer pretty soon when Yixing arrives. The children are told not to bother the vet but they hover around the room, making a pile at a distance, watching Yixing check the little animal carefully. Yixing says, “Okay, I think this was a case of doe kindling on a wire. Just keep him warm and try to feed him something. I would put his age around two to three weeks. Try to get him to drink some goat milk, and when he warms up and wakes up, try pellets or oat hay.”

Junmyeon asks, “Can we use a hot bag? I have one warming beside my bed.”

Yixing nods, smiling a little, “Yes that is great.”

Han, having heard it, says, “I got it, papa!”

The rabbit is as big as Yixing’s palm, so bundling him up in blankets and the hot bag isn’t too hard. Yifan was out, grabbing some of the fresh goat milk they took yesterday. He also got some more bird feeders. Yixing soon gives Junmyeon and Yifan a short guide to raising the rabbit and tells them to call him if anything happens. They all eat a quick, hurried lunch—everyone is worried about the rabbit, who is breathing a bit better now.

Soon, the Zhang-Kim family make their way home and Zitao makes Shixun promise to tell him everything. When Shixun returns to his parents, he finds the rabbit in Yifan’s lap. His baba is feeding the kit the goat milk, which he is drinking very eagerly. Baekhyun is sitting by Yifan’s knees, utterly fascinated. Shixun joins his older brother and watches Vivi with awe too.

Junmyeon returns to the room. He smiles at the scene in front of him and he takes a moment longer gazing at Yifan. His husband is always so kind to children—whether human or animal. He comes closer and pats Shixun’s head, whispering, “So, does he have a name?”

Baekhyun whips his head and asks, “We can keep him?”

Yifan and Junmyeon share a look. They already know they can’t release the kit into the wild, not if he had been abandoned. And he would need some help and nourishment. So, Yifan laughs, “Yeah, yeah, we can keep him.”

Baekhyun yelps in joy as quietly as he can. Shixun grins, grabbing his papa’s wrist, “His name is Vivi.”

Junmyeon frowns a bit, wondering how and where his youngest got this name, but it clears as he nods, “Vivi, I like it.”

Baekhyun looks at Yifan, his eyes wide and gleaming, “Baba?”

Yifan laughs, nodding, “Yeah, yeah I like it too.”

Shixun grins widely when he cries, “I came up with it!”

(Thankfully, what Yixing warned Yifan the most about didn’t happen. The kit didn’t die and actually slowly improved through the night. Next morning, when he took small nibbles of the cabbage Yifan offered, the whole family breathed in relief. )

V.

Junmyeon is inching towards the end of his first trimester and autumn slowly leaves making way for winter. It won’t start snowing till late December but the air is quiet and cold as Yifan and Junmyeon make their way to the main town. Junmyeon has an ultrasound appointment today and Baekhyun accompanied them. It wasn’t really much of a plan. Junmyeon’s father had come down to visit so Han and Shixun were okay at home, but Baekhyun needed some new shoes so Junmyeon thought about hitting two birds with one stone. He can get his check-up done and do some shopping too.

They stop at the clinic first. Junmyeon has started to show a little but it is minuscule compared to how much he was showing by now for Shixun. At a glance, his bump under his sweater just looks like a big lunch, so he can still fit into his looser clothes and get away with bending over. Yifan helps Baekhyun get down, who is kind of excited to see what happens today.

The main town centre is one hour from their farm towards the east. It has every amenity anyone could need from a hospital, clinics, restaurant, cafés, a hotel, police station, a chain supermarket, smaller grocery stores and a small shopping area. Baekhyun likes coming to town a lot. Their school lies a bit on the edge of it and he as seen how senior kids go to town to do fun stuff and he can’t wait to get to that age. He will drag Chanyeol with him _everywhere_, he swears.

They enter the clinic and the insides are nice and toasty. They sit down, waiting for Junmyeon’s number. Yifan goes and finds his family some water. When he returns, he sees Junmyeon scrolling through his phone and Baekhyun gaping at a heavily pregnant woman. Yifan chuckles a little as he plops down beside Baekhyun and hands Junmyeon the water bottle. He says, “Baobei, staring is rude.”

Baekhyun shakes his head and looks a little sheepish as he says, “Oh no, I was just trying to remember was papa that big when he was keeping Shixun inside?”

Junmyeon smiles, glancing at the person. He surmises she might be well into her third. He cups his son’s neck and says, “Baekkie, you won’t remember. You were a baby yourself.” Junmyeon got pregnant with Shixun when Baekhyun was hardly two.

Baekhyun pouts, putting his hand on Junmyeon’s bump. “But will you become a balloon too?”

Junmyeon chuckles, even Yifan joins in. Junmyeon kisses Baekhyun’s temple and says, “Oh baby, how else will your sister grow? You made me into a balloon too!”

Baekhyun points at himself, completely flabbergasted. Yifan chuckles, looking at Baekhyun once and then at Junmyeon, who still has that beautiful smile on his face. Yifan feels his heart warming when he thinks how each pregnancy differed for them. With Han, Junmyeon was irritable and grumbled every single day about the lack of coffee. The morning sickness was horrible too. Then with Baekhyun, his fluctuating blood sugar levels made him weak and he was at risk for hypertension. Shixun was a little more peaceful but carrying him was hard and had Junmyeon aching all over all the time. Yet, Yifan couldn’t stop falling more in love each time. Even now, with his glowing cheeks and soft bump, Yifan can’t help but think how beautiful his husband is and how lucky Yifan is to be blessed with everything he has.

Junmyeon feels Yifan’s gaze on him, so he looks up and his eyebrows scrunch in question. Yifan smirks before leaning over Baekhyun and kissing the mole atop Junmyeon’s lips. He watches the pink suffuse Junmyeon’s face when he says, “Well, it doesn’t matter. Your papa is beautiful any which way.”

Baekhyun giggles and before Junmyeon can come up with an appropriate reply, the nurse calls him. Baekhyun’s little heart jumps in his chest as he realises it’s time. He is not very sure how this works but he remembers accompanying baba and Han for an x-ray when Han had a small accident and hurt his chin. Fortunately, Han only needed stitches and there were no bones broken, but Baekhyun remembers the cool and creepy photos of his brother’s skeleton the man behind the machine took. Will this be similar?

They walk down a corridor and then they stop in front of the door. The nurse notices Baekhyun’s wide-eyed gaze and she laughs, “Is he the big brother?”

Baekhyun feels shy and ducks behind Yifan’s legs. Junmyeon chuckles, “One of the three.”

The nurse smiles, “Oh, you have three kids?” She pushes the door and ushers them all in.

Yifan answers, “Yup, and all of them boys.”

The nurse nods, “Then you must be very excited to meet your daughter?”

Junmyeon chuckles, lying down on the chair prepped for him. “Oh, we are. But our kids are probably more excited than we are.”

“That’s sweet.” She pulls the ultrasound machine close and gestures at Junmyeon to pull his sweater up. “I always think bringing siblings to these appointments makes for a good bonding experience.”

Junmyeon shares a look with Yifan—and the latter nods, smiling, “Well, it’s the middle one’s turn this time.” He ruffles Baekhyun’s hair and they sit down on the left of Junmyeon.

The nurse says, “Of course.” She smiles at Baekhyun and asks, “Are you ready to see how your sister looks like?” Baekhyun blushes furiously and ducks behind Yifan again. But he nods his head slowly. The adults coo at him. “Okay, then mister Kim-Wu, your doctor will be here soon.”

As if on cue, the door opens to a woman and she smiles down at Junmyeon, “Sorry to keep you waiting.” The nurse moves aside and Dr Choi Sooyoung takes her place, sitting down on the chair. Sooyoung notices Baekhyun and she smiles, “Ah, the middle one is here. How do you do Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun knows this doctor; apparently, she has been looking after papa from Han’s time. She comes to their parties often and she is now more of a family friend. Baekhyun feels his shyness ebbing away as he smiles, “I am okay.”

Junmyeon pulls up his sweater and winces slightly when the cold gel hits his skin. Sooyoung nods, “Ready?” Junmyeon nods and the doctor places the rod over his stomach. All heads turn to look at the monitor. Slowly, slowly a grainy image comes up on the screen. Baekhyun is not sure what he’s looking at, so he blurts out, “Uh? Is that gloop my sister?”

The adults all erupt into laughter. Yifan pinches his son’s cheek and says, “You were a gloop too.”

Sooyoung smiles, “All babies eventually are.” She looks at the screen, smiling, “But this one is healthy. The position looks right too. Let’s hear her heart.” The nurse presses a switch and soon the room gets silenced by the faint lub-dub of a small heart. Junmyeon feels the tears collecting at the corner of his eyes. You’d think he would get used to this experience after their three times, but he hasn’t. Yifan too feels emotionally overwhelmed as well and he reaches for Junmyeon’s hand, who entwines them, squeezing down on them. That is their little girl growing well and healthy inside him. He is so happy.

Baekhyun on the other hand, can’t take his eyes off the screen and the heartbeat resonates loud for him. He whispers in awe, “This is so cool.”

The adults all smile at his reaction. Baekhyun looks back at his papa and grins, prompting Junmyeon to smile back. The gel gets wiped off and after some discussion—that Baekhyun doesn’t understand—they are back in the waiting area. However, there is something bothering Baekhyun ever since he watched the nurse wipe the gel off Junmyeon’s bump. And Yifan picks up on it when they are walking down the streets, towards their car. He asks his son as they all strap in, “Baek, is everything okay?”

Junmyeon turns around as well, reaching back to cup his son’s cheek. “Baekkie?”

Baekhyun pouts, “Why does papa have so many lines on his tummy?”

Junmyeon understands Baekhyun is talking about the scars and the stretch marks. He does feel conscious about them from time to time and it is the reason why he hasn’t engaged in taking his shirt off when they are anywhere near a beach, so his smile is faint when he says, “Well, those lines are signs of the time you were all in me, honey.”

Baekhyun’s eyes become shiny because he now knows how scars appear (Han’s stitches left behind a small scar on his lower lip). “Did papa need stitches too?”

Junmyeon chuckles, “So many, but it’s okay. Don’t feel too upset, okay?”

Yifan understands they need to distract Baekhyun or else he will be thinking about this for the whole day. His middle son gets very sensitive whenever any member of the family is hurt or sick. Therefore, he loudly says, “Baek? Would you like some ice cream?”

Baekhyun’s pout dissolves instantly and his grin is back in place as he nods his head. Junmyeon laughs at it but he knows what his husband is trying to do. The car starts and they head to the shopping area. They talk about the new shoes Baekhyun will be getting and which ice cream he wants but Yifan can’t stop looking at the way Junmyeon keeps his hand over his bump and how he zones out occasionally. He sighs; like clockwork, eh? But he’s ready for it anyway. He knows Junmyeon requires a reminder that no matter what there is literally no one else in this world he would want more than one Kim Junmyeon.

Hours later, as the whole family gets ready for bedtime, Yifan finds Junmyeon in the bathroom, in front of the mirror in his shorts looking at his reflection. He has his t-shirt hoisted up as he traces the many scars and stretch marks on his stomach. Yifan walks in and Junmyeon is startled, dropping the t-shirt over his bare stomach. He blushes as he says, “Fan, you scared me.”

Yifan just smiles as he sits down on the edge of the bathtub and pulls Junmyeon closer to him. He pulls the t-shirt up (Junmyeon protests, “What, what are you doing?”) and nuzzles his face into the warm, soft skin. Junmyeon huffs and puts his hands on Yifan’s shoulder. He bites his lips and says, “Okay, alright, I was feeling insecure again.”

Yifan plants a kiss on Junmyeon’s skin and mumbles, “I know.”

“I’m allowed to feel ugly every now and then, okay?”

Yifan leans back, his thumbs rubbing circles into Junmyeon’s hipbones. He smiles, “Baobei, with me around, that’s not possible.”

Junmyeon feels his face getting hotter by the second. He whines, “Fan, why do you need to be such a cheeseball?”

Yifan smirks, “Didn’t you read the fine print on our marriage certificate? There was a line that said, ‘Wu Yifan is going to be a total cheeseball to Kim Junmyeon from now on, he is legally allowed to and Mister Kim Junmyeon can do absolutely nothing about it’.”

Junmyeon laughs and moves his hands into Yifan’s thick, dark hair. He cups Yifan’s cheek and leans down to press a kiss on the other’s nose. But he sighs, his smile faltering, “I just, I don’t know. I just get reminded of all the boys and girls who wanted you so much back then and out of them all, you still chose me. And I’m so lucky that we have this, our family but yet, I don’t know.” His lower lip juts out as he finishes in a low whisper, “What if you stop wanting me one day?”

Yifan takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. He pulls Junmyeon closer to him and with a soft, exalted voice, he says, “Myeon, that will never happen. I guarantee you.” Junmyeon looks somewhere between unconvinced and convinced, so to lighten the mood, Yifan puts his hands on Junmyeon’s wonderful behind and squeezes. Junmyeon makes a startled, spluttering sound but Yifan winks up at him and smirks, “I mean that ass is the best ass ever. How dare I not want it? I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, maybe it is written down in that fine print too.”

Junmyeon knows his husband is joking, trying to get him to lighten up again, and it works; so, he chuckles, trying to free himself from his husband’s hold. He says, “Yes, I know. You reminded me last night, you brute.”

Yifan looks down at his husband’s pale thighs, which still bear the marks Yifan made last night. He grins, all wolfish and it makes Junmyeon shiver a little when Yifan traces the lovebites he left on his thighs. His fingers are gentle, barely-there but it hitches Junmyeon’s breath anyway and makes him hold onto Yifan’s shoulder a little tighter. Yifan’s voice is low and thick as honey as he says, “Would you like another reminder then?”

Junmyeon feels his whole body heating up and the heat pools in his guts. God, who is he kidding? He can’t stop wanting Yifan either. But he won’t give in so easily, so he skips away from Yifan’s hold and grins, “Oh, I don’t know. What reminder? Maybe I need my memory refreshed.”

(Yifan then promptly picks Junmyeon by the waist and heads back into the bedroom. Junmyeon gets his memory thoroughly refreshed that night.)

VI.

“PAPA!”

Junmyeon almost jumps a foot in the air at the loud shout, thanks to his middle child. He was combing Shixun’s hair as Baekhyun runs into the room, cheeks puffed out and eyebrows scrunched. Junmyeon tilts his head to the side and asks, “Yes?”

Baekhyun throws his hands up in the air, stomping his foot, “We are getting late appa!”

Junmyeon sighs, “Love, we are not late. They literally live next door.”

Baekhyun pouts and stomps away again, defeated by his father’s logic. Shixun snickers a little and Junmyeon lightly swats his youngest son’s shoulder. Baekhyun has a terrible habit where he doesn't understand that if someone says five minutes, they might not actually mean it. He helps Shixun put on his socks next and then they make their way downstairs where Yifan and Han patiently wait for them. Baekhyun is pacing, his cheeks still puffed out. Junmyeon halts him by grabbing his shoulders and saying, “Okay, okay, we’re done.”

The storm clouds on Baekhyun’s face clear a little and his lower lip juts out. He mumbles something and heads for the door. It is his best friend’s birthday and he doesn’t want to miss the cake! He is also the first one out of the door. His family follows behind greatly amused at Baekhyun’s antics.

The Do farm is literally a two-minute walk away from their farm. They take the dirt road winding behind their farm. The path is covered by leaves and the boys start playing their leaf crunching game. Yifan falls beside Junmyeon and wraps his arm around Junmyeon’s shoulder. Junmyeon puts his arm around Yifan’s waist and both look on over to their children having fun. This November Sunday is cool and the sunlight is bright and nice today so the chill isn’t that difficult to bear. The scent of fall is rich and wonderful. There are chestnuts roasting somewhere and the apple trees from their orchard still give off the lightest fruity fragrance. Junmyeon smiles and nuzzles into Yifan’s shoulder, taking in the woody, almost smoky scent of his husband. Guess this pregnancy is giving him a more keen sense of smell.

They finally reach the Do farm and seems like Chanyeol was as impatient as Baekhyun because he was waiting by the backdoor. When the two best friends spot each other, they scream and rush over to hug each other. It is not really Chanyeol’s birthday but since the 27th falls on a school day, his parents decided to host the party three days before. Chanyeol didn’t mind as long as he got his cake. Baekhyun, however, wishes him anyway, “Happy birthday Yeollie! You’re finally seven.”

Chanyeol pinches his best friend. “I turn seven in three days.”

Yifan chuckles and hands the almost-birthday boy the gift. Chanyeol blushes a little as he takes it and allows Yifan to gently pat his head. Junmyeon too comes along and leans down, kissing both his cheeks. He smiles, “Happiest birthday anyway Yeol.” Chanyeol answers back with a sweet, dimpled smile.

“Ah! You’re finally here!” Yifan and Junmyeon look up to see Kyungsoo standing at the house’s backdoor. “Come on in!”

Like every other party that happens in their little town, everyone who knows everyone gets invited. So it is not surprising to find Jongin and the Zhang family there as well. Shixun is excited to find his best friend and so is Han. Kyungsoo has set up a marquee in front of the house and people are mingling with their children weaving through, playing and shouting in joy. Jihyun is sitting down on a couch and every now and then, someone comes and talks to her. Junmyeon beelines for her and she smiles up, “Ah, oppa, I forgot to say thank you for the jams!”

Junmyeon shakes his head, sitting down beside her. “No problem. Thanks for the bamboo shoot pickle in return. I think Han finished one bottle in a week.”

Jihyun widens her eyes slightly, “Isn’t that too spicy for him?”

Junmyeon laughs, “My kids have a stronger spice tolerance than I do!”

They chitchat among themselves for a while, unknowing that two pair of eyes are looking at them. From the balcony above, Minseok and Han look down at Jihyun and Junmyeon. Minseok sighs, “You’re getting another sibling and so is Yeollie. I’m the only one kid.”

Han says, “Min, Zitao is the only kid too.”

Min shrugs his shoulders. “Yeah, but at least he has two dads and you need two parents to make a baby, right? I just have one dad.”

Han pouts, upset that his best friend is so sad about this. He throws an arm around Minseok’s shoulder and tugs him closer. He says, “Maybe, you can ask your dad to bring another dad for you?”

Minseok shakes his head, his cheeks flushing a deep red. “Nah, dad was very upset when the last boyfriend left because he didn’t like me.”

Han frowns; he remembers _that_. He had asked his parents for clarification and what he understood was that Jongin’s ex didn’t want to be with him because he was a single dad. Han was confused, wondering why anyone would hate his best friend. Ever since Minseok and his dad moved here six years ago, they have been inseparable. Minseok is smart, the best one at maths in their class, and he looks like a cat. Han is still very, very baffled. Minseok was very upset for days after it happened. And no matter how much Jongin tried to reassure him that he would never, ever choose anyone over Minseok, the child wasn’t sure. It has been just him and his dad for the last six years. But watching his friends with little brothers and sisters makes him jealous sometimes. He wants to know how it feels to be an older brother as well!

Han pouts, taxing his brain to come up with something to cheer his friend up, but then uncle Kyungsoo calls everyone for the cake-cutting, so Han quips, “Cake, Min! You love cake!”

Minseok sighs deeply and he sounds older than his tender age of nine. He lets Han lace their fingers together and drag him towards the party downstairs. Chanyeol and Baekhyun are already getting reprimanded for trying to eat the icing of the two-tier chocolate cake. Kyungsoo lights the candles and everyone claps and sings for the boy as he blows the candles. Kyungsoo keeps a sharp eye on his son so he doesn’t start an impromptu cake fight. Chanyeol behaves—until he smears a bit of icing on Baekhyun’s nose, who is about to retaliate when Yifan loudly says, “Kim-Wu Baekhyun, don’t you dare.”

Baekhyun is deterred but Han and Shixun can tell their brother is already plotting revenge in his head. Kyungsoo cuts the cakes next and guests come and get a slice. Jongin helps in serving, Yifan pitching in too. And as predicted, when Baekhyun has a paper plate of cake, he goes and smears a long streak of icing on Chanyeol’s cheek. The boy splutters and soon they are racing around the marquee, Chanyeol ready to return the favour. Kyungsoo and Yifan just sigh in defeat. Those two when together are near impossible to handle. Junmyeon laughs and walks up to his husband, rubbing his back. He breaks a piece of the cake in his hand and feeds it to Yifan, saying, “Ah, let him be. At least he will burn his sugar rush and be easier to put to bed tonight.”

Yifan can’t help but scoff. Trust Junmyeon to see the silver lining here. He curls his fingers around Junmyeon’s wrist and accepts the cake. He even licks Junmyeon’s fingers which makes the latter blush profusely and gasp, “Wu Yifan!”

Yifan just winks and lets Junmyeon’s wrist go. “Nice cake, isn’t it?”

Junmyeon just narrows his eyes, a retort on the tip of his tongue when a woman screams. Everyone turns their head towards Jihyun, who is standing, clutching on to the table, her hand on her bump. Junmyeon immediately picks up what’s wrong when he sees the small pool of water near her feet. He shouts, rushing over to Jihyun, “Get Kyungsoo! She’s going into labour!”

Someone calls Kyungsoo, who had ducked inside the house for something. He sees Jihyun panting and screaming with Junmyeon trying to calm her. He murmurs, “But the due date…”

Jihyun growls, “Do Kyungsoo, shut up and take me to the hospital now!”

They are a close-knit community, so someone in the crowd speaks up, “Go on Kyungsoo, we will clear all this up.”

Yifan speaks up as well, “Yes, don’t worry. You go, Chanyeol can stay with us.”

Chanyeol is shaking in fear watching his mother in pain. Baekhyun wraps his arms around him and he tells him, “Papa said mommies and dads who have babies have to feel a little pain to bring out the babies. But she will be okay Yeollie.”

Jihyun and Kyungsoo head for the car. Jihyun gives Chanyeol a tight hug and thanks the Kim-Wus before Kyungsoo ushers her off. The people in the party start clearing the mess and start boxing all the food that Kyungsoo told they can take if they want. Junmyeon is leading everyone for some reason and Yifan smiles at that. His husband in his element after all—Yifan remembers how Junmyeon was voted president for their student union in college based on his popularity and leadership skills alone.

The kids are huddled in the living room. Everyone with siblings tries to console Chanyeol who is still very scared. Yifan watches the boy and his heart clenches a bit in worry. The thing is, when the three boys came one after another, they had no idea how babies worked. They were too small to understand all the times Junmyeon would go into labour and they never had to witness their papa writhing in pain. But now they are all older and aware. So, he walks into the room and the kids clear space for him as he sits down beside Chanyeol. Since the boy spends a lot of time at their farm, he has wriggled his way into everyone’s heart there as well and Yifan feels upset seeing the child so shaken. Yifan picks him up, collecting him on his lap, and holds him close as he rubs his back, whispering, “There, there, Yeollie.”

Chanyeol whimpers and presses his face into Yifan’s chest, sobbing, “Is, is eomma going to be okay? And my sister too?”

Yifan smiles, cupping Chanyeol’s neck so he can see his face. There are snot and tears running down his face, and Yifan carefully wipes them with the sleeves of his sweater. “Yeol, they will be fine, I promise.”

Chanyeol frowns, “But why was eomma screaming like that?”

“Well, when it’s time for the baby to come out, your eomma’s body needs to work to make sure your sister comes out okay, alright?”

Han suddenly says, remembering the time he watched his papa going into labour with Shixun, “Baba, when Shixun came, that’s why you took papa to the hospital suddenly, didn’t you?”

Yifan nods. “The people in the hospital know how to help. They made sure your papa felt no pain when Shixun was born.” He looks down at Chanyeol again and says, “And they will do the same for your eomma too.”

Chanyeol sighs, rubbing his face. “Okay, Fan uncle, if you say so.”

A couple more hours later, the parents are done and they slowly leave with their kids. Chanyeol had fallen asleep sometime in Yifan’s arms. So, when it’s time for the Kim-Wus to leave, Yifan doesn’t bother waking the boy up and carries him to their farm. The sun is inching towards the west, about to call it a day when they walk back through the same path. The kids don’t play their game and walk quietly, not wanting to wake Chanyeol up. When they get home, Yifan places the boy carefully on Baekhyun’s bed and warns his middle son to not wake his friend up with a finger to his lip. Baekhyun mimics his baba’s gesture and nods his head.

The other two have gone up to their rooms as well. Yifan finds Junmyeon in the kitchen grabbing a glass of water as he talks to someone on the phone. Yifan understands it’s Kyungsoo when Junmyeon asks, “Oh, how long do you think Jihyun will take? Chanyeol was a long birth.” Kyungsoo says something and Junmyeon chuckles, “Don’t worry about that Kyungsoo-yah. Chanyeol can stay here as long as needed. If you want, we will come with him to visit tomorrow.” Kyungsoo says something again and Junmyeon smiles, “Never a problem. He’s like our kid too. Now go, be with Jihyun. Take care of her and I hope everything goes just fine. Bye.”

He puts the phone down and smiles when he feels Yifan wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing his nape. Yifan asks, “Everything okay?”

Junmyeon nods, “Yeah, but they think this could go on for some hours. Phew, what a blessing men can’t give birth naturally.”

Yifan chuckles, “That doesn’t mean you are not in a whole lot of pain too, you know.”

Junmyeon puts his head back on Yifan’s shoulder and smiles, “The kids were really shaken up, huh?”

Yifan kisses Junmyeon’s temple, mumbling, “Yeah. Also, I had no idea Han would remember the day you went into labour with Shixun.”

Junmyeon grins, “Ah, kids. They’ll remember the strangest things.”

(Next morning, Chanyeol wakes up to the news that he has a baby sister named Jeongyeon. He is almost bursting with excitement when Yifan and Junmyeon drive him to the hospital. And when he finally meets his sister, he is so happy, he starts crying. He is a big brother like Baekhyun now!)

VII.

Every Christmas, the local school (that almost everyone’s child in this town goes too) hosts a party. Now, the Kim-Wus are not the most religious bunch and not everyone in this town is Christian but everyone is invited and allowed to pitch in their help. Since this Christmas, Jihyun is out of duty, Junmyeon jumps in to help with the baking. The school pays for the ingredients but Junmyeon already has a lot of it on the farm, so he is not too worried about the expense either. He has done massive amounts of baking before, and with the help of his husband and children, he can get this done—he is sure.

Preparation begins a week before as he gets to soak the dry fruit in rum for the Christmas cakes. Then, Yuqi too comes down for a visit and she becomes Junmyeon’s assistant yet again, helping him with the marzipans and biscuits. As the 24th approaches, Junmyeon is satisfied to see everything in place. Yuqi, Yukhei, and Yifan even stay up all night putting the decorations atop the Christmas cakes. Since Junmyeon stepped into his second trimester, Yifan has started banning him from working too long and too hard.

On the morning of the eve of Christmas, Yifan pulls out the stash of gifts they got their troublemakers and asks his husband, “So, do we give them all this today or tomorrow?”

Junmyeon has started to show now. The bump has gotten a bit bigger and doesn’t look like a big lunch anymore. He also notices that this pregnancy is definitely distributing the fat around his thighs and hips; it is no wonder Yifan can’t keep his hands off him now. However, leaning down to wear socks now, even while seated on the bed, is a nuisance. And that is what he is doing when Yifan asks him the question. He huffs, managing to wear one sock as he looks up and says, “Let’s give it to them tonight. They have to perform tomorrow at the charity event at the hospice, no? We won’t have the time and they will probably too tired to open gifts.” This year Han and Baekhyun have been chosen for the choir and they are very excited about it. Shixun is only volunteering as an elf this time—he isn’t that comfortable performing in front of too many people. He does like dancing but he only does that in Zitao’s bedroom, who picks up dance moves by watching idols do it.

Yifan nods and puts the bag under their bed. He hears Junmyeon cursing under his breath as he tries to put on the other sock. Yifan chuckles and comes over to his husband. He kneels in front of his husband and grabs the sock from his hand. He slips the item over Junmyeon’s toes and heel as he says, “You know, I realised, all our kids are summer babies.”

Junmyeon laughs, “And it’s the winters when I have to carry them. At least, I can get away with the extra insulation and leave people guessing: is he pregnant or is he wearing ten sweaters?”

Yifan chuckles and looks, his gums on display, “Well, you’re really cute when you wear your sweaters,” he eyes the engineering department hoodie on Junmyeon that is definitely not the business major’s, “And mine too.”

Junmyeon cups Yifan’s neck and rolls his eyes. “I’m in my mid-thirties. Calling me cute at this age should be a crime.”

Yifan pouts, “But baobei, you always are.” He puts his hands on the bed’s edge and pushes himself up, kissing Junmyeon under his ear when he says, “Bet you will always be this cute even at like sixty.”

Junmyeon groans but he can’t help the smile as he says, “One of these days, I’ll push you off a cliff.”

Yifan chuckles, leaving more kisses down the side of Junmyeon’s neck. “And then you’ll run down to catch me too. You ain’t slick my love.”

Junmyeon tries to ignore how his skin heats up at the kisses or how his toes curl. He stops Yifan’s ministrations by curling his hand around the latter’s neck. They look at each other as Junmyeon licks his lips. Yifan gently kisses Junmyeon’s lower lip and he is about to kiss him properly but then they hear the loud thunder of three sets of feet running down the corridor. They pull back at the moment Baekhyun, Han, and Shixun burst into the room.

Han says, “Papa! We are all ready to go!”

Junmyeon grins when he looks at them. All the kids had a dress code: to dress in red and green. So, his three boys are all wearing matching red sweaters. They have chosen themselves to put the green element in their outfits; Han chose a green scarf, Baekhyun chose green socks, and Shixun wore dark green pants. Junmyeon reaches for them, saying, “Aw, my babies look so handsome! Fan, we must take pictures!”

After two rounds of photo-shoots (first Junmyeon with the kids and then Yifan with the kids), they make their way to the school. The food had already been transported the night before by Yukhei and Yifan. Yuqi, Yukhei, and Qian join them too. Junmyeon drives their car with the kids while Yifan follows in the truck with the others. They also pick up Chanyeol on the way. Kyungsoo didn’t want to leave Jihyun alone with Jeongyeon, so Junmyeon offered to take Chanyeol with them.

When they arrive at the school, the kids are taken aback by the winter wonderland they are seeing. There are huge Christmas trees everywhere that are decorated with colourful trinkets. It hasn’t snowed yet but someone covered the trees with fake snow and the kids are awing. This party is just like a school fest but with parents and the people and kids from the church present, so the senior students have planned a program of sorts. As they all take seats, Junmyeon eyes Jongin and pushes Yukhei towards the empty seat beside the older man. Yukhei protests but Yuqi pushes him too. Both Junmyeon and Yuqi try to hold back their laughter when they find both Jongin and Yukhei furiously blushing.

The program starts and it is put together rather well. Junmyeon can’t help but be amazed at this senior student named Taeyeon’s singing. Also, this dance by another senior named Taemin awes everyone. Claps rain down heavily and after a couple of hours, the crowd breaks and ambles towards the refreshments. Junmyeon sets the baked goods up with Yuqi and Yukhei’s help. It doesn’t surprise anyone when Jongin bashfully extends his help. Yuqi whispers to Junmyeon, “If I don’t set those two up by New Years’, I will change my name.”

Junmyeon chuckles, “I will hold you to that.”

The day moves and it moves fast because before Junmyeon knows, there are only crumbs left on the table and even the kids seem to have run out energy, having flopped down on the cold ground itself in exhaustion. Yifan deems it is time to pack everything up and get home before it gets too dark. Junmyeon agrees and they start packing all boxes up. He had saved some for the Dos, so when they drop Chanyeol, the boy leaves with an armful of Christmas cake, marzipan tarts, and sugared cookies.

When they are finally home, Junmyeon calls, “Okay, all of you, I know you’re tired but take your baths and your baba and I will make something light for dinner, tonight. Okay?” The three brothers nod. Junmyeon smiles, “And then you will get all your gifts.”

The word “gifts” has an almost magical effect on them. They rush upstairs with Baekhyun already stripping so he can get to the bathroom first. Junmyeon laughs at their behaviour. Yifan, meanwhile, is in the kitchen, pulling stuff out for their dinner and soaking the containers in the sink. Junmyeon walks up to him and throws his arms around Yifan’s waist. He murmurs, “Leave them, we will get them tomorrow.”

Yifan agrees; he shuts the faucet off and wipes his wet hands down his jeans. He turns around and kisses Junmyeon on the forehead. He says, “Okay, wait here. I have a gift for you.”

Junmyeon is confused; even though they give their children gifts, they don’t gift each other during this holiday—or on any holiday because both agree that if you want to make your significant other happy or make them feel special, you don’t need a special day for that. But before Junmyeon can ask what or why Yifan ducks into his office and returns under a minute with a small box in his hand.

Yifan opens it and says, “Well, I’d say it’s a gift for us both.” Junmyeon realises it is a small music box of sorts. “I got this custom made by Jaejoong. I’m just, well,” he chuckles softly. He looks at Junmyeon and the latter can’t look away from the love that is bared in his eyes. “We have been together for more than ten years now and I can’t express how much I cherish you and my three boys and my girl too. I just wanted to make something lasting, that they can keep even after we’re gone.”

Junmyeon takes the box and he has to hold back his sob when he sees it is a hand-painted music box. The top is smooth wood carved with the letters K and W. Inside, the mechanism plays a tune he doesn’t recognise but he does recognise the three faces meticulously painted under the cover. There is even a space left beside Shixun, which Yifan explains, “I asked Jaejoong to keep a spot for our little one, so when the times comes, we will paint her in too.”

Junmyeon takes a deep breath and a tear betrays him anyway and slips down his cheek. He pushes his face into Yifan’s chest and says, “Oh, Fan, this is beautiful!”

Yifan chuckles as he throws his arms around Junmyeon. “I’m glad you love it baobei.”

Junmyeon looks up and kisses a corner of Yifan’s jaw as he says, “And I love you, so, so much. Thank you for agreeing on that blind date Minho set us up on.”

Yifan grins, cupping Junmyeon’s face. “Can’t believe I almost said no.” Junmyeon scrunches his face as he laughs. Yifan feels so happy and warm within that he can’t help it as he kisses Junmyeon’s nose and says, “I love you too, so much.”

Junmyeon puts his head back on Yifan’s chest, where he can hear the other’s heart beating and he sighs. This is all he can want from life: his husband, his three little angels, and this farm. He is so glad he went on that blind date, he is so glad he married Yifan and had their three boys. Right then, he feels the tiniest movement in his belly and he smiles. _I am thankful for you too, my little Jisu. _


End file.
